Mr. Driehaus takes on the coolest job

I was a senior in high school when I first got to meet a member of Congress. It was at a student government luncheon, and I was seated next to our House member, Joe Vigorito, who represented the northwest corner of Pennsylvania.

(Note to trivia buffs: Vigorito was the only Democrat to represent that Pennsylvania district during the 20th century. One of his successors was Tom Ridge, who later became governor, then Homeland Security secretary.)

Vigorito talked about issues he'd been working on, and I asked him what had impressed him most about Congress. He said it was that the job constantly pushed him hard to learn something new, to understand better how things work.

I came away thinking that people like Vigorito had the coolest job in the world.

Since then, I've had the chance to observe plenty of lawmakers - saints and scoundrels, hacks and heroes - through the years. One thing seems fairly constant: They acquire deeper knowledge, perspective and, yes, wisdom - whether or not they put it to the best use.

I thought about that Monday when the Editorial Board met with the area's newest member of Congress, Rep. Steve Driehaus of Price Hill.

Driehaus may be a freshman, but he's no rookie. He has a ton of experience from eight years in the Ohio House, where he was by all accounts an effective legislator on various issues, even in the minority as a Democrat. So he came in talking about details of the economic stimulus package - foreclosure to food stamps to rural broadband to sewer systems - without missing a beat.

But I wondered what he thought about making that quantum leap from Columbus to Washington, so I talked to him later by phone. It's only been one month in Washington, but Driehaus has gathered plenty of impressions.

"The pace at which things move here is very interesting," he said. "It moves quickly - maybe because of financial crisis right now, but there's a lot going on all the time."

He's getting attention from groups in his district with a particular interest in what Congress does. "Suddenly there are a lot more people wanting your time. They want to make sure you know about all the things that are funded through the federal government. What's good is that compared to the state legislature, you're more intimately involved in the conversation and can make more of a difference."

But what about that deeper knowledge and perspective? Driehaus has already seen it. "Once you get into the committees, the depth and breadth of knowledge among the members is impressive. Members of Congress get a bad rap on that. You've got to be a quick learner. You've got to listen to people who know a lot more than you. And you've got to be able to take in all sides, so you get a broader picture of of where the pressures are and where the fixes can be."

The toughest part, Driehaus said, is "learning to get things done within the (legislative) body." There are plenty of books on how to campaign for office, he added, and lots of resources on specific policy issues, "but there are no classes that can be taken to help you get things done.

"You have to learn very quickly about relationships. You have to be aggressive in advocating for your constituents, because nobody's going to hand you anything. It's tough. It takes a lot of work to understand the nuances of Congress."

Steele-ing the RNC

Ken Blackwell has a knack for controversy, but the former Ohio secretary of state can be diplomatic. He did a good job of it Friday as he withdrew his candidacy in the multi-person race for the Republican National Committee chairmanship (watch his speech at http://tinyurl.com/bccys4 ).

"We must be the party that makes good on the promise of Lincoln," Blackwell said. "We must unleash a new birth of freedom." He threw his support to Michael Steele, former Maryland lieutenant governor. That move proved decisive for Steele, who won the final ballot.

But some took his "promise of Lincoln" comment to mean that he backed Steele for chairman because Steele, like Blackwell, is an African-American - an important "first" for the RNC. Blackwell later denied that race was the factor.

Well, maybe it wasn't the direct factor.

The other major candidate at that point - the one who narrowly lost to Steele in the final round - was South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson, who had recently resigned his 12-year membership to an all-white country club.

Dawson said he hadn't known about the club's all-white membership charter - which is at least possible, as minority golfers are typically guests at the club. And he quickly called for that to change.

There wasn't too much "there" in that situation, but more than enough for Democrats to point out and hand Republicans the last thing they'd need - another major public embarrassment - if Dawson became RNC chair.

I think Blackwell knew that. He's a staunch social conservative, but he's been trying to push Republicans toward greater inclusion for many years. I think he knew that if Dawson were elected, even a dubious hint that the party might be clinging to its old "Southern strategy" would be deadly to the GOP. Blackwell also knew he didn't have the votes to win. The rest was simple.